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Lauren is a novelist and screenwriter who published 3 novels under the name LAUREN MCCROSSAN – Water Wings, Angel On Air and Serve Cool – before writing as LAUREN DAVIES the multi-award winning documentary Waveriders and most recently Cloud 9 about the 9-times world surfing champion, Kelly Slater. Lauren began writing for magazines while working as a lawyer after graduating from Trinity College, Cambridge. She then chose to pursue her dream career full-time when her first novel was published by Time Warner paperbacks in 2001. Lauren is currently writing a film adaptation of Water Wings as well as a new romantic comedy novel and a television series. We bugged that talented writer to tell us more …
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How and when did you get started as a novelist?
I think my talent for writing was there from the moment my mum taught me to read and write and books were always my escapism. I used to hide under the covers in bed as a child and read with a torch. I dreamed of writing a novel but I thought Law would be a more secure career, so I did a Law degree and a Masters at Cambridge, then Law School before becoming a corporate lawyer in London. I learned important skills, which I have carried with me into my writing career, but I hated the job. My husband, Gabe Davies, encouraged me to begin my novel and I then took the plunge and left Law to try and find a publisher. After two years of working in quirky jobs to make ends meet, I sent my book direct to Time Warner. Within a week, I had my first two-book deal. That was a life-changing moment.
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How did you go from novel writing to movies, documentaries and TV show writing?
I was in Ireland writing my novel ‘Water Wings’ and met the Irish Director, Joel Conroy. We started talking about a film idea and I helped him write the first treatment. ‘Waveriders’ became a passion project and took 7 years to complete. We then won the Dublin Film Festival and many other awards, so we knew we had done something right! The highlight for me was winning the Surfer Poll in America as we were the first Europeans to do so. I then met Nicolas Dazet in Hossegor and we talked about a film project, which became ‘Cloud 9’. I’m now writing for a film company in London and I was approached in LA to write scripts. Really it has been about forging relationships with people I enjoy working with. Filmmaking can be stressful at times so we have to have fun as a team along the way.
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Describe a typical day in the life of a screenwriter?
I have breakfast, walk my dog, then settle at my desk with a coffee and get to work. I do have quirks. I can only concentrate when my office is tidy and I can only listen to Coldplay, Jack Johnson and Ben Howard. Their lyrics inspire my mood for writing. Often I surf in the afternoon and then work into the evening. When I am travelling, I love to write in cafés where I observe people and write longhand. Sometimes I have two different jobs to do in a day, so I may write book chapters in the morning and then film scenes in the afternoon. The fun part of the work comes when I get to leave my office and glam up in a Quiksilver Women dress for the film premiere!
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What is the difference between being a novelist and being a screenwriter?
As a novelist, I am working alone with my imagination, so it can sometimes be a lonely existence. You do have to be disciplined and passionate about the book and its characters. Screenwriting also involves the long hours in front of a computer but I work in conjunction with a Director and sometimes a whole team. Respecting each other’s opinion and sharing a vision is important. Screenwriting is a different art form, as one has to be much more succinct with the language. I did a screenwriting course and I study films and read scripts constantly. I love the fact that I can buy books and watch movies in the name of research!
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Is it harder to succeed as a screenwriter or a novelist?
I’m not entirely sure as I have thankfully had relative success in both but the book world has become tougher. There are fewer bookstores and so much rides on marketing and hype. It can be a disillusioning world at times. Writing books is a long process and it’s tough to have written 100,000 words that end up on the scrap heap! With my second book, I had a new editor who kept asking me to make changes until the book no longer felt like mine. Eventually, I threw the whole book in the bin and started ‘Angel On Air’. I think by that point I had written half a million words. I believe every new piece of work should be better than the last, so I am always trying to improve my art. As my agent, once said to me, ‘Just write something exceptional and it will all be fine’. I’m still aiming for that!
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Where do you find the ideas behind your novels? What about your documentaries?
I dreamed all my novels. Often, as soon as my head hits the pillow and the mundane worries of the day start to dissipate, I get ideas. I always get up and write them down in case I forget them by morning. I people watch and I write observational comedy. My latest novel began with the title, which my brother’s girlfriend came up with and then grew from there. With ‘Waveriders’, I brainstormed with Joel then I worked on the story, weaving in the cast and the poetry I chose to add throughout. With ‘Cloud 9’, I was passionate from the outset because it was about Kelly Slater who is a great friend of mine. He has such an interesting character and of course has achieved an awe-inspiring amount in his life, so I wanted to do him justice. Nicolas Dazet and I instantly gelled as a team and inspired each other. Basically, you have to keep your eyes and ears open to inspiration as it can hit you when you least expect it.

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Surf seems to be your main inspiration. It’s a theme we find as much in your novels as in your documentaries. Why?
My first and second novels had nothing to do with surfing but after marrying a pro surfer, I based my third book on an actress learning to surf. Writers often write about what they know. I also wrote for surf magazines and I suppose along the way I proved I could write about surfing whether it be from a comedic or a technical viewpoint. However, variety keeps the work interesting and I have other passions including football and cycling, which are the subject matter of more recent work. My latest book is completely different again, being a romantic comedy based in the North of England about the economic downturn.
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How do you make the link between your passion for surfing and your job?
After meeting Gabe, I started to travel and surf and I began to understand why it becomes a passion. As well as being a subject I love writing about, surfing is a great form of escapism. When I am in the ocean, I forget about life’s niggling worries. With the cobwebs washed away, my mind is clear to write. I have to be careful to prioritise work over surfing, though, as perfect waves can be a terrible distraction. When I have a deadline and the sun is shining on clean surf, I have to shut myself in my office and force myself to concentrate!
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What advice would you give to aspiring novelists or screenwriters?
Don’t be afraid to dream! If you have always wanted to write then do it. Find the place you are happiest writing, find time and mind space and then go for it. Starting is the hardest thing and I am always full of self-doubt at the beginning of every new project. I never show my work to anyone until I am happy with it, because I feel as soon as someone makes a comment, it breaks the magic for me. We all want to read fantastic novels and watch life-changing films, so if you feel you have one in your head, don’t deny the world; get it out there!